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In 18th-century London, waste was considered so valuable that dustmen would collect coal ash and cinders from homes to sell to brick manufacturers.
If Busy Bins would have been around back then, we would have been worth at least 20 shillings!
Welcome everyone to our new Busy Bins blog. In this blog, we will taking a journey into the past & future, as we cover the full, uncensored, timeline of the history of waste management.
From the very early ancient days where caveman roamed free to early medieval times, all the way to what the future waste management may bring to homeowners and companies.
Did cavemen use eco-friendly rocks as toilet paper?
Did Kings & Queens have a personal wiper?
In the future, will there be automatic toilets & bin trucks?
It is time to find out!
Now you hear prehistoric & you may think of dinosaurs leaving their drops everywhere, but we aren't talking about those roaring little rascals today...we are talking about the very first whiffs of mankind, of us...where caveman roamed, hitting themselves with their own clubs & having to use the very soles of their feet to power the vehicles (or maybe that was The Flintstones).
Either way, these were the times where the very first humans wandered around, so it is suffice to say that there wasn't many waste to energy facilities, hi tech waste sorting machines or fights over wheelie bins at this moment in time...to get rid of waste, early humans would use disposal methods such as burning or burying!
We bet the smell was lovely.
Land of Pharaohs, Sphinxes & the Pyramids (But how did they get there? That's for a youtube hole to answer)
The kings & queens in these times, wouldn't have stood for burning or burying in their back-garden! The use of specific burning pits outside of the towns were crucial to keep the place smell free.
In Ancient Egypt, sanitation practices were very advanced for their time, the ancient Egyptians were extremely strict about their personal hygiene, probably more then some people today!
Some of these techniques included:
Water Management: Egyptians used simple drainage systems to manage waste and keep their living spaces clean. In larger homes, water was channelled through stone or clay pipes to wash away waste.
Toilets: Wealthier Egyptians had simple toilets in their homes. These were often made of limestone and included a seat with a hole that led to a pit or a container filled with sand. The sand could then be removed and replaced,
It was basically an adult sized cat litter box...no wonder they loved cats so much, they were practically sharing toilets!
Personal Hygiene: The Egyptians were very concerned with personal cleanliness. They bathed regularly in the Nile River or in water brought to their homes.
Slaves feeding grapes, cities such as Athens & Sparta (We know what you want to scream), the birth of the Olympic games & where the great philosophers such as Socrates pondered the meaning of life.
With all this going on, you would have forgive them for not giving hygiene the most focus, but, just like Egyptians before them, cleanliness was paramount.
Sewage Systems: They were more advanced than the Egyptians sewers.. Sewers in Athens were designed to channel rainwater & solid wastewater away from areas to prevent flooding. Some of the cities even had the first forms of underground sewage pipes, (Not the worlds first, full, sewage system, this will come later in Rome, but it did transport the waste outside of the city limits)
Waste Disposal: The Greeks certainly knew the importance of re-using waste. In some cities, they would take the waste away from the populated areas & use it as fertiliser for farming.
Public Cleanliness: The concept of public cleanliness was important in Greece. Workers were employed to sweep the streets and clear away debris, helping to maintain a more hygienic environment.
Water Supply: Aqueducts...perhaps one of the most famous things to come out of Greece...apart from The Olympics, Mythic Greek Gods, Philosophers, so not that famous, but you get the message! Greeks developed advanced systems for supplying clean water to their cities. Aqueducts, wells, and cisterns were invented & used to collect and distribute water.
As the civilisations evolved, so did the waste disposal methods, in Ancient Times anyway. There were some right pigs in The Middle Ages and beyond, but we will get to that!
When they weren't hosting team death matches in the Colosseum, building the Pantheon (A large temple for all the Roman gods) or The Circus Maximus (A 150,000 seater stadium for the classic Chariot races, we wouldn't mind a flutter on them), they were building and developing their waste infrastructure.
World's First Sewer System: The Cloaca Maxima. This massive underground sewage system, drained waste & carried wastewater to the nearby River Tiber. The sewage system was actually so well built and engineered that some parts of it are still in use today.
Roman Aqueducts: The Romans took the Greeks great idea and made it better. They built widespread aqueducts so that fresh water could be transport further and longer.
Roman Baths: The reliable, clean water from the aqueducts ensured that the Romans could build huge public baths. They even figured out a way of creating hot water for the baths.
A real real mucky era.
You would think after the success of our ancient Greek, Roman & Egyptian neighbours waste management, that we would have learned something from them, but you can probably guess...we didn't!
The fall of the roman empire, also meant the fall of solid waste management. Where are you when we need you Caesar!
We took a serious step back on our waste management. The worst of the waste generations.
In this time, cleanliness & being sanitary were most likely swear words that would get you strung up, drawn & quartered.
Chamber Pots: Public toilets were rare, and most people used simple chamber pots in their homes, which were then emptied into the streets.
Animals: Animals were allowed to roam around freely, so of course, they added to the mountain of turd on the streets.
Diseases: Black Death & other diseases were brewing in the distance. With all the human & animal waste on the streets, it was a breeding ground for germs, viruses and bacteria.
The late middles ages bought lightning growth with the worlds population & cities such as London, Paris & Florence were created.
However the tight knit population, all packed together, ended up creating far more waste then early medieval Europe.
This created a variety of serious health problems but also brought in some regulations (Not that they were followed).
The Black Death: Centuries of animal & human waste being thrown everywhere finally took it's toll. Plagues & Diseases were as common as your household cold, but the Black Death was the most deadly. Spread by fleas into rats then onto humans.
Around 25 to 30 million people died in Europe from this.
City Governance: With the spread of diseases, culling many of Europe's populations, & cities growing, authorities recognised that something needed to be done. Waste regulations were introduced. For example: Some cities banned the dumping of waste in streets.
The rules were rarely followed!
Waste Workers: Workers were hired in the battle against the waste. The title: Night Soil Workers...these workers were responsible for transporting waste from the cesspits to outside the city. Many of these workers would pick up diseases along the way.
The black death behind us, the renaissance era brought with it more knowledge of waste management & technology.
With the history of diseases & deaths, there was a lot more understanding of public health issues & at least some form of goal on what needs to be done...we are still a long way from a well structured waste management system, but organisation was there to see!
Public Health Interest: City planners championed for public health and structured waste management. They did this by building better infrastructures. In the late 16th century, Paris and London started building more extensive sewer systems, though these were still rudimentary compared to our modern standards.
New, Enforced Regulations: New, more detailed regulations on how to dispose of waste were introduced, and enforced this time! In Florence, streets needed to be cleaned regularly.
Early Attempts at Organised Collections: Some of the cities brought in private waste collection services. It wasn't Busy Bins standard, but they used carts to collect waste from designated areas and transport it outside the city. While this system wasn't perfect, again it shows that they were starting to organise a bit better.
A high, fast paced growth of the population combined with the early signs of the industrial revolution, meant a large, large volume of waste being produced. Even with the previous eras efforts on trying to get on top of waste, took a backwards step due to how speedy the population grew...this meant:
Public Health Concerns: Cholera, Typhus & other diseases were scuttling around. Granted they weren't as deadly as previous eras, but, it still made everyone cry out for a more structured waste management process.
City Growth Challenges: As the cities grew, overcrowding became a serious problem! Due to this, waste was often piled up in the streets again...it wasn't like the cities & governments were trying to solve the issue, it was just that people couldn't stop popping out little babies!
Early Landfills: The sheer amount of waste that was being produced, forced the powers that be to designate specific areas outside of cities to dump the waste. It didn't have the safety procedures that we do today, so these landfills were simply open pits, with soil covering them.
Steel, Copper, Iron, Ore (It's not what you think). Factories, Warehouses & Mills were getting thrown up faster than you could say Industrial Revolution!
Due to all these buildings, companies were offering more and more jobs, which made a large amount of the population travel from rural areas to cities, in the hope of finding better work and pay, but creating more waste!
Yes, the rat race has always been a thing!
Urban Explosion: As people flocked to the cities for warehouse jobs, the population exploded! Again, this only meant one thing...overcrowding.
Industrial Waste: Now it wasn't just household waste that cities had to deal with, but, with the creation of all the factories, meant the creation of a new type of waste... commercial waste! This put even more serious strain on the already low standard waste collections.
The warehouses produced all kinds of waste, ranging from metals & chemicals! This waste wasn't safely disposed of, but dumped into rivers, streets & open spaces.
Increased pressure for change: The public health crisis & environmental issues due to overcrowding, drove people to demand change. Newspapers, Social reformers & public health advocates demanded better living conditions for all.
This pressure for change led to the introduction of the Public Health Act in 1848! This was in no small fact due to the 1842 report from Sir Edwin Chadwick.
This is when the real change started!
Due to the previous eras, the demand didn't stop & certain key figures helped to shape the waste management landscape for future generations!
Sir Edwin Chadwick: Chadwick released a damning report on the state of waste, specifically aimed at the UK waste issue. It was titled 'The Sanitary Condition of the Labouring Population of Great Britain'. This highlighted the horrendous conditions & argued for improved living conditions & sanitation.
Invention of the Dustbin: Now that bins were invented, no longer did homeowners need to chuck waste out onto streets...they could be placed safely in their bins, which was obviously a lot more hygienic.
Waste Incineration: Burn baby burn! Another invention from these times was the idea to incinerate waste to reduce the overall volume. The first incinerator was built in Nottingham, England, in 1875.
The 20th century doesn't feel like it was that long ago, when in fact it was 24 years ago to 2000....wow, we are so old!
With the dawn of the 20th century came the birth of new technologies and ways to manage waste, this was scuppered half way through...but, we will get to that.
During the first part of the 1900s, rubbish was being handled with greater care compared to previous generations, unfortunately...due to the horror of the world wars, some of the great work was undone.
World War 1 & 2: World War 2 especially. The drastic need for resources, materials & food...rations were sort after & recycling was vital for people to get by. People were forced to save, repair and re-use where they can due to the lack of all daily life resources.
If anything, World War 2 actually focused peoples needs for efficient waste management, in the most gruesome & stressful of ways of course.
Developments of Landfills: In 1914, California introduced the world's first sanitary landfill. Previous landfills were all opens dumps, but this one was different. This landfill used techniques of spreading and compacting waste in layers, covering it with soil to prevent odours, pests, and fires. These techniques are still actually in use today!
After the nightmares of the wars behind us (Still got the cold war bubbling along in the background mind you), the solid waste management system leapt forward to a new horizon. Technology advancements, environmental awareness & better regulations improved municipal waste collections drastically!
Environmental Awareness: This really exploded in the 1960 - 1970s. The rise of the hippy movement, tree huggers and other bands of environmental activists were formed, as the population gained greater awareness of environmental issues.
Clean Air Act (1956,1968 & 1993): This was introduced to help tackle air pollution in the UK.
Environmental Protection Act (1990): This act bought with it the Duty of Care for waste providers, requiring them to handle waste & dispose of legally.
Environment Act (1995): Brought in to help regulate pollution & overall waste management within the UK.
Microsoft, Xbox, Iphones, Laptops, the Ipad....a raft of technology invented & this was no different for the waste industry...
Innovations in recycling: Just like the latest tech for your houses, waste industries were experiencing a boom in innovative technology and different ways of disposing of waste.
Advanced Technology: Machinery like laser guided, automated sorting machines & robotics to sort different waste materials were born.
Advanced Waste Treatment: Anaerobic Digestion & Chemical Recycling are just a few that have been developed over the 2000s until the present day.
Global Challenges: Before 2018, China was the largest importer of plastic materials....the National Sword Policy changed that. This policy banned the import of most plastics and other recyclables, which had a substantial impact on global recycling markets.
It was a very bold move from China, but it forced a lot of other countries hands...as they couldn't just pack up and ship off its waste to China, they had to focus on recycling & more sustainable efforts.
Very well done China (Just don't tell Trump)
Now, we are not going to start predicting flying waste trucks or floating bins that magically hover and put themselves out.
Yes, it can be tough to predict the future, but one thing we do know is that, with the emergence of AI & Boston Dynamics Robots opening doors, the future will definitely involve AI & maybe, Robots!
(Will Smith get ready)
Smart Waste Machines: Think of the Generation Game...but instead of a lucky contestant remembering and spotting every item, it is an AI powered sorting robot equipped with laser vision that can recognise, sort & seperate different materials in the blink of an eye.
Full Zero Waste Countries: Cities, Countries & Companies have all been adopting zero waste practices & the future will be no different...more cities like San Francisco or countries like Japan are all aiming to achieve the zero waste status.
Automated Waste Vehicles: Future waste collection vehicles may be fully autonomous, using AI and sensors to navigate streets and collect waste without the need for a human touch.
This may reduce labour costs, but surely it takes away the human interactions and the laughs, that is what we would miss anyway & if they crash the vehicle, how would they take the humans details?
Sorry we got a bit too ahead of ourselves there.
Who knew that running through the brief history of waste management could be so fun?
From ancient civilisations tossing scraps into rivers to self driving bins who put your rubbish at the end of the driveway for you, it is clear that our relationship with rubbish has been a bit of a helter skelter ride!
Who knows what the future holds for waste management practices?
If history is anything to go by, it’s bound to be rubbish... but in the best possible way!
Is it time for you to bring your waste collections into the 21st century? Come & join Busy Bins!
Here are just a few reasons as to why you should use us for your next waste collection:
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